Why do i have to get leica lust NOW??

[agoglanian]

great. so i think im free, sold the r-d1, the M-mount glass. im good... right? WRONG!

after a few months of away time from RFs.. i want one again.. but not just any one.. a damn Leica. lol.

i want to have one to live out the days of film, then oogle it and display it proudly 40 years from now when film is no more.

obviously i cant just go out and buy one. i dont have that kinda cash. but eventually id like to get one. but the question really is... Which one???

i was thinking of an M6 (classic = cheaper), and pick up a trio of CV lenses. where would you guys go?

( i can see it happening already.. im gonna become a leica collector.. i just know it. )

or would you guys reccommend me getting the Zeiss Ikon? or a CV R2A/R3A?

help me plan these giant financial decisions lol. - i trust you guys 😉 just dont drive me to drink!

 

[vizioneer]

It's all about the glass- get it before Leica goes under LOL. Keep it simple though. Maybe get some extra plastic and then let it roll, maybe through a gray market dealer like popflash. Have fun! 😉

 

[John]

For affordability, it is hard to beat an M3. I have seen them under $600. Then you need a lightmeter. Read the Cameraquest article about what to look for when buying a used Leica. People in this forum are honest and thorough when describing their FS items. You likely have other cameras if your Leica needs cleaning and adjustments. Everyone here will be interested in how things develop. There will be good and bad to whatever way you go. 😎 😎

 

[vizioneer]

I know popflash actually sells USA items and gray market items as well- I've gotten a gray market lens and had good luck. (just to clarify)

 

[ChrisN]

"i want to have one to live out the days of film, then oogle it and display it proudly 40 years from now when film is no more."


If we're talking classic value, a camera to represent a bygone era when quality was appreciated and form followed function, it would have to be an M3 with a 50 Elmar collapsible. (Hehe - that's my pick, anyway!)

 

[wilt]

What ChrisN and John said: M3.

 

[matti]

If you've got the Leica lust, I suppse buying a Bessa or Ziess Ikon, won't cure it. Even though technically the image will be the same. But I have to say that my M6 is so quiet compared to my Bessa R2. Not that it bothered me before, but it it such a joy to push that button! (I actually have to be more careful and not take those ugly pics just because i like the sound of the shutter...)

/matti

 

[aizan]

the chase is better than the catch!

 

[amateriat]

Hold it...you had the bucks for an RD-1, but getting nervous about blowing the bucks on a Leica...?

Way back when (let's say, the first few months of 2002), I decided I'd (mostly) had it with SLRs, film- or pixel-fuelled, and went for the M-mount division...but in my case, it was via a pair of Konica Hexar RFs and a trio of M-Hex lenses, which remain my Main Axe to this day. No second thoughts, no buyer's remorse (even with the prospect of KM's photo-biz flameout). M7? Had bucks, would've travelled, but the price of a new M7 would damn near cover what I paid for my whole HRF setup (all purchased new, BTW), never mind the desire/occasional need for a second body, plus glass. I don't know about "for keeps", but I fully intend to shoot with this setup until it's all but run into the ground, which I'd like to think will take some good years yet.

Since it sounds like you're going for the long haul here (I hope!), I would think a Leica is in order. CVs are okay, and a Z-I moreso, but if you've got Solms on the brain you should just work on scratching that itch, then get on with the pictures. I wouldn't bother with anything older than a "classic" M6 for the metering convenience; you're more likely to use the thing when the meter is built-in (M2-M4 devotees, don't shoot me - just my personal opinion). For glass, just think about what focal lengths you've shot with most up to now, then concentrate on just two of them; for me those are the 28 and 50, but I felt a tad insecure without a 90, which I use a good deal less, and Konica's very reasonable pricing of their 90 made adding one relatively painless. Choosing certain older Leica glass could do the trick without wiping the floor with your wallet (not too much, at any rate), and you can be secure enough in the quality of your gear that you can happily forget about said gear and start loading film. Frequently.

I daresay your other cameras might be neglected for stretches of time. But you'll have a ball.

 

[Frank Granovski]

...obviously i cant just go out and buy one. i dont have that kinda cash. but eventually id like to get one. but the question really is... Which one??? i was thinking of an M6...or would you guys reccommend me getting the Zeiss Ikon? or a CV R2A/R3A?

Well, can you afford an R2A/R3A? So far I'm happy with my R3A, but I've only shot 4 rolls of film with it. 😎

 

[Ronald M]

Buy nothing but fast lenses if you do low light work. If you do street and landscape photography, get the slower ones, even collapsible ones, as they are easier to move with.

Or you can get some of each and bring what you anticipate using. Now you are collector.

 

[James Burton]

Well, can you afford an R2A/R3A? So far I'm happy with my R3A, but I've only shot 4 rolls of film with it. 😎

Frank you need a $10 umbrella and gumboots. Quick before the new government outlaws photography, get out and try that camera out. Shoot raindrops or something.

James 😉

 

[sgy1962]

I believe film will surprise us, and be around for quite some time. Don't worry about that.

Rangefinder photography has more to do with emotion, then logic. Its very right brained. I'm not sure they make sense in today's world, but they come with the biggest fun factor then any camera system I have ever used.

 

[wrenhunter]

I have a mild case of Leica fever -- but a Bessa makes a fine compress. If money is tight, get an R2/3 and some CV lenses to have fun shooting. When you're done "renting" the Bessa, trade it in for the Leica of your dreams.

Bonus: you may also learn more about what you need, and don't, in an M-mount RF along the way. Could help you pick the right Leica down the road.

 

[jaapv]

Medically speaking- there is an area in the brain that controls addictions. If that is stimulated, be it by crack or Leica's, it takes more than 15 years to settle down again.....

 

[jano]

the chase is better than the catch!

Profound words of true wisdom!

 

[Skinny McGee]

M3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Alec]

I can't tell you what you should do, but this is what I did 2 years ago:
buy a 'user' M2 + 2/40 Rokkor.

Buy on the cheap side, so you don't lose much if you change your mind (again) and sell.
You don't need a lightmeter unless you shoot slides.

Well, that was 2 years ago. Now I am much more 'loaded'... :/

 

[agoglanian]

Hold it...you had the bucks for an RD-1, but getting nervous about blowing the bucks on a Leica...?

Actually, some of the guys here might remember that i didnt have to pay to much for an r-d1 ( it payed to live in santa barbara around rich people who knew nothing about photography and just had to have the newest everything ) anyways. that was the past.

now i dont earn this amazing income or anything like that, but i have saved and bought and sold over and over till i have the kit i have now. and im quite happy with it. but you are all ABSOLUTELY right. a rangefinder is just so much more enjoyable to use, its a borderline spiritual experience.

for the record. - if i shoot chromes itll be fuji velvia 100. but the shooting would be predominately B/W. of the neopan variety ( mmm neopan 1600 ) and lenses - most likely start with a 35, then get a 28, and a 50. 50 being the longest id go. but i would certainly enjoy using some super wides.

 

[Ben Z]

One of the reasons I've avoided the temptation of a dSLR so far is that in a short time their resale value goes way down. If I'd bought eg a 10D for $1500, by the time the 20D came out for the same $1500 I would have had to add $700 to get one. Since I don't have waves of cash washing ashore at my feet, I would've ended up downgrading to a Rebel XT. OTOH I was able to sell a visibly-used MP for the same money I paid for it as a demo, thanks to Leica's price jackups, and without adding a single cent, bought two M6 Classics and a Voitlander 28/1.9.

As for which Leica to get, that's a matter of taste. If you're actually going to use it, then the one with the most features you want would be the best choice. If you like using a 35mm lens then the M3 is obviously not the most convenient choice. If you value the speedier loading and rewinding and a fuller set of framelines but still want a Leica from the golden days of Wetzlar craftsmanship, the M4 might be an ideal choice. For a purely working camera, I think it's really hard to beat an M6 classic (witness my decision to get 2-for-1 for my MP).